Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shumen and London

For one person, living is cheaper in Shumen: $907 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $37,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Shumen, Bulgaria
London, United Kingdom
Shumen
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
$907
/mo nomad
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Shumen and in London

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Shumen and in London actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $907 per month in Shumen vs $4,048 in London, rent included.

  • Shumen $907
  • London $4,048

A couple spends around $1,415 per month in Shumen vs $5,903 in London, rent included.

  • Shumen $1,415
  • London $5,903

A family of three spends $1,922 per month in Shumen vs $7,758 in London, rent included.

  • Shumen $1,922
  • London $7,758

Shumen is about 78% cheaper than London, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Shumen sits 33% below the global median, while London is 199% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Shumen
London
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.40 BGN 16.36
$26.36 £19.59
-64.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$33.87 BGN 58.9
$109 £80.7
-68.80%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.80 BGN 15.32
$10.71 £7.96
-17.83%
Cappuccino
$1.76 BGN 3.07
$5.59 £4.15
-68.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.44 BGN 2.51
$3.00 £2.23
-52.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.05 BGN 1.83
$2.22 £1.65
-52.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.81 BGN 4.89
$9.65 £7.17
-70.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 BGN 4.85
$8.26 £6.14
-66.22%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Shumen
London
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.85 BGN 3.21
$1.97 £1.46
-6.09%
White Bread (500g)
$1.07 BGN 1.86
$2.09 £1.55
-48.80%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 BGN 4.44
$2.59 £1.93
-1.54%
Eggs
$2.75 BGN 4.79
$5.37 £3.99
-48.79%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.05 BGN 15.74
$13.12 £9.75
-31.02%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.95 BGN 8.61
$11.03 £8.20
-55.12%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.04 BGN 15.74
$17.73 £13.17
-49.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 BGN 2.74
$3.17 £2.36
-50.16%
Banana (1kg)
$2.01 BGN 3.49
$1.38 £1.03
45.65%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.17 BGN 3.77
$2.82 £2.10
-23.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 BGN 3.86
$3.36 £2.50
-33.93%
Potato (1kg)
$2.09 BGN 3.64
$1.70 £1.26
22.94%
Onion (1kg)
$1.25 BGN 2.18
$1.78 £1.32
-29.78%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.86 BGN 1.49
$1.49 £1.11
-42.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 BGN 1.32
$1.82 £1.35
-58.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.63 BGN 6.32
$23.85 £17.72
-84.78%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.26 BGN 12.63
$13.44 £9.98
-45.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 BGN 1.73
$3.11 £2.31
-68.17%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.47 BGN 2.57
$4.49 £3.34
-67.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Shumen
London
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.94 BGN 1.63
$4.13 £3.07
-77.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$25.72 BGN 44.75
$266 £198
-90.33%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.75 BGN 3.04
$5.98 £4.44
-70.74%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.54 BGN 0.94
$3.39 £2.52
-84.07%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$56.6 £42.03
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.58 BGN 2.74
$2.21 £1.64
-28.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.2K BGN 52.5K
$38.3K £28.4K
-21.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K BGN 38.3K
$41.0K £30.5K
-46.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shumen
London
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$130 BGN 227
$372 £277
-64.99%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.30 BGN 30.10
$18.66 £13.87
-7.29%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.04 BGN 29.66
$40.53 £30.12
-57.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Shumen
London
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.35 BGN 66.7
$56.0 £41.63
-31.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.49 BGN 19.99
$17.10 £12.71
-32.81%
Cinema Ticket
$6.69 BGN 11.64
$17.95 £13.34
-62.73%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Shumen
London
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$567 BGN 986
$2,946 £2,189
-80.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$10.1K BGN 17.6K
$47.6K £35.4K
-78.80%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Shumen
London
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$47.88 BGN 83.3
$116 £86.4
-58.81%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$51.5 BGN 89.5
$56.9 £42.28
-9.58%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.8 BGN 163
$128 £95.1
-26.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.9 BGN 106
$154 £114
-60.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Shumen
London
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$269 BGN 468
$2,935 £2,182
-90.83%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$177 BGN 308
$2,258 £1,678
-92.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$437 BGN 761
$5,250 £3,901
-91.67%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$332 BGN 577
$3,859 £2,868
-91.40%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,261 BGN 2,195
$17.2K £12.8K
-92.66%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,001 BGN 1,741
$8,278 £6,152
-87.91%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Shumen
London
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,022 BGN 1,779
$5,621 £4,177
-81.81%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.25
4.78
-32.01%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Shumen: November 2, 2026

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Shumen
$213
London
$360 69.2% $147
Accommodation & Living
Shumen
$177
London
$2.3K 1174% $2.1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Shumen
$165
London
$432 162% $267
Eating Out
Shumen
$152
London
$396 160% $243
Clothing & Footwear
Shumen
$114
London
$205 79.1% $90
Sport & Entertainment
Shumen
$52
London
$92 77.7% $40
Getting Around
Shumen
$34
London
$305 800% $272

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $269 in Shumen versus $2,935 in London. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in London are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Shumen versus $109 in London. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $213 vs $360 – making Shumen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇬 Shumen
🇬🇧 London
🕒 Local time
09:27 9:27 AM
07:27 7:27 AM
2 h behind Shumen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
85,504
8,908,083 Capital
💱 Currency
Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.
Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.835 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Shumen London 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Shumen
  • London

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Shumen vs London: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Shumen and in London compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $907 in Shumen, $4,048 in London – Shumen comes out roughly 78% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.
What salary covers living expenses in Shumen compared to London?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,361 per month in Shumen and $6,072 in London. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Shumen and London?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Shumen, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $269 there versus $2,935 in London.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 69% more in London, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Shumen and $109 in London. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Shumen, where all-in costs run around $907, than in London at $4,048. In Shumen it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Where should families live: Shumen or London?
Families tend to lean toward Shumen – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How do I decide between Shumen and London?
If budget matters most, go with Shumen. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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